Robert comes from the Germanic Hrodebert and means "bright fame", from hrod, fame, and beraht, bright. The Normans brought it to England, Robert the Bruce made it a royal name in Scotland, and it was the most common boys' name in America for most of the 1920s and 1930s. Robert still ranked number 29 in 2000, has stayed in the top 100 every year since and is number 92 in 2025.